Chapter 8%
I did not inform anyone that I was leaving thus my grandmother Victoria waited for hours along with my awkward biological father for the final goodbye.
At last when I did not show up they knew that I was already gone… disappeared with an unspoken fact that all the chances of our reconciliation have vanished completely.
And just like that Valcruz estate was eerily quiet in my absence.
Jessica, who was now the official mistress, filled the silence with her exotic perfume and sound of high heels, immediately taking over my room as if she had always owned it. And right behind her, like a devoted man in love was Xander.
The same man who once refused to carry a shopping bag now bent to zip up Jessica’s heels as she lounged on the couch.
“Xander” she whined one afternoon, her lashes wet from tears. “That French designer whom I always loved? They sold out of their new collection.. my dream dress is gone.. now I am going to be the only girl at the gala wearing last season.”
The cold heart melted instantly.
“Give me an hour,” he said simply before disappearing
That night, he flew to Paris in a thunderstorm, before using his connections to bribe the creative directoc
The dress which was already sold was bought at ten times the price along with matching emerald jewelry and heels.”
When Xander showed up at midnight burning from fever Jessica squealed. “Thankyou Xander!“}
She immediately tried it on in front of the full–length mirror. Xander stood behind her, adjusting the delicate straps with quiet reverence. His fingers brushed against her shoulders as he looked at her with soft eyes.
“You are perfect.” he murmured.
Jessica beamed at him. Thank you so much Xander. You went to such lengths.”
He only looked down. “Only when it comes to you.”
She giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. A Carefully calculated move to keep him by her side.
She walked away before he could respond, smiling.
“Athena never made him blush. It would have been great if that bitch was here to see it.
In just two days, Xander had memorized Jessica’s daily schedule, the favorite brand of coffee she needed when she was tired, the scent of her shampoo and the exact temperature she liked her bubble baths to be.!
Like a devout man he walked the ‘dog‘ she rescued beside him named Lola and when the sun was scorching hot, he kept the umbrella over Jessica and her tiny pup, not himself.
“You’re… obsessed with her now,” said one of the estate’s senior guards in hushed tones.!
“She is my assignment.” Xander answered curtly. “That’s all
And yet when Jessica slipped her arm through his and leaned into him during brunch selfies, his body didn’t resist. His eyes, once sharp. softened when she giggled.
The family members of Thorne household were quite disdainful to see that the man they chose as their heir had gone all out for such a female, they whispered in backgrounds: Xander Thorne, once the coldest man alive, now fetches juice boxes and lip gloss for the younger Valcruz daughter
He heard it. And yet he stayed!!
That evening, while Jessica lounged in the estate garden surrounded by scented candles and silk cushions, Xander knelt beside her and massaged her ankles as she hummed along to an old pop song X
Suddenly, a scream.
A waiter, stumbling with the dessert tray, lost his footing and dropped the boiling hot soup. Jessica jolted, nearly falling off the chaic In a blink, Xander had thrown himself forward, wrapping his arms around her, shielding her with his body like she was glass about to
shatter.”
His back hit the marble with a thud as he took the fall while his leg burned with the scalding hot liquid. Jessica landed on top of him, unharmed.8
“Oh my God!” she gasped, scrambling off him. “Xander? Are you okay?! You idiot…why would you do such a thing?”
His breath was shallow, a faint grimace tightening his jaw, but his arms didn’t release her until she was steady.
“Why do you even care this much?“She stared at him for a second with tears and Xander’s lips parted. But as soon as he was about to confess something shifted in her eyes as she saw through him.
“You are not fine Xander, take a holiday it is my order!”
He met her eyes, the comers of his mouth lifting slightly in a rare smile.
“You are safe…” he said simply. “That’s all that matters.”
